The Little Greene x National Trust wallpaper collection is joyfully nostalgic
Little Greene’s delightful new wallpaper range, in collaboration with the National Trust, offers a whimsical adventure into childhoods past – and it's guaranteed to charm grown-up spaces in abundance.
Storybook Papers is Little Greene's fifth collection of wallpapers with the conservation charity. Spanning eight designs, the patterns capture the charm, eccentricity, playfulness and character of historic artefacts and original artworks found in some of the National Trust's most cherished historic houses, from Somerset to Cumbria.
From tin cars to children’s wooden games, these original pieces have been painstakingly reinterpreted by the Little Greene Design Studio. There's also reference to a fabric print and several original artworks, including some by the beloved children’s author, Beatrix Potter, who left 4,000 acres of land and 15 farms to the National Trust when she died in 1943. Little Greene’s much-loved Broad Stripe wallpaper has also been recoloured in a range of contemporary combinations.
‘It’s wonderful to think that these beautiful pieces of history, including toys, children’s illustrations, and fabrics have now been transformed by the design team into wallpapers that will find their way into contemporary homes, bringing joy for years to come,’ says Ruth Mottershead, Little Greene’s creative director.
The origins of Storybook Papers may be rooted in childhood, but these wallpapers will bring whimsy to a multitude of grown-up spaces alongside children’s bedrooms, nurseries, and playrooms.
‘I see these bold, bright and characterful designs bringing joy to breakfast rooms, hallways, boot rooms, bathrooms and dining spaces,’ adds Ruth.
Speaking to their shared love of nature, beauty and history, a contribution from each sale will help the National Trust care for its 500 places.
Discover five of our favourites below and browse the full collection at littlegreene.com.
1. Animal Kingdom
Bringing vibrancy to a dining room, this playful and quirky scene features a polar bear and penguins alongside an elephant and an ostrich.
It's drawn from a printed 1930s fabric found at Tyntesfield, an exquisite country house in North Somerset, which was home to the Gibbs family (of Anglo-Spanish entrepreneur William Gibbs) for more than 150 years. The pattern was made into slip covers for furniture in the children’s nursery.
Pictured: Animal Kingdom - Atomic
Pictured: Animal Kingdom - Pea
2. Road Trip
One for car lovers! This jolly green pattern comprises sketches of a selection of vintage toy cars and trucks, cared for by the National Trust’s ‘Children’s Country House’, located in the former servants’ wing at Sudbury Hall in Derbyshire.
Aficionados will identify a 1951 Morris Minor, a wooden 1960s Mercedes truck, and a glamorous Austin Atlantic from 1956.
Pictured: Road Trip - Pleat; Broad Stripe - Pleat.
4. Potter’s Woodland
Well, isn't this magical? A true joy for children's bedrooms, this wallpaper design directly references a variety of individual drawings and paintings from the unpublished sketchbooks of Beatrix Potter. Depicting her enduring appetite for farming the land, Beatrix was inspired by the nature that surrounded her rural home, Hill Top in Ambleside, Cumbria.
Pictured: Potter’s Woodland - Spring
3. Rodney Street
This wallpaper design references a pair of vintage, mechanical apple-picking toys cared for by the National Trust at The Hardmans’ House in Rodney Street, Liverpool. The elegant Georgian property, authentically preserved in its 1950s state, was the home and photographic studio for the prestigious portrait photographer Edward Chambré Hardman and his wife Margaret.
The subtle natural pink colourway of this wallpaper design brings warmth to grown-up spaces, or there's a punchier option available (below) in a fresh, bright green that will no doubt reinvigorate dull spaces.
Pictured: Rodney Street - Masquerade
Pictured: Rodney Street - Sage & Onions
5. Nip & Lassie
The dogs in this charming design are Beatrix Potter’s doodled portraits of her beloved working collies, Nip and Lassie. Beatrix was known for her dedication to farming, and her award-winning stock of Herdwick sheep also features in the design. The accompanying sheep have been flocked to bring extra surface texture too.
The Herdwick breed is synonymous with the Lake District and Beatrix's beloved rural cottage, Hill Top, where she pursued her creative and business endeavours.
Pictured: Nip & Lassie - Celestial Blue
Pictured: Nip & Lassie - Slaked Lime Dark
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